Projects What would make this slip?

This is the "old" clutch & disc I removed from my '59 Rambler six. It was slipping. Only less than 500 miles since I installed it and bone dry when I took it out. (No oil or grease on the flywheel either) The main clutch is not scored...in fact, it's smooth - almost glazed. The disc still has lots of 'meat' but looks scuffed. Release bearing is fine and linkage is adjusted with about an inch free play on the pedal.

Also, (dumb question what do the springs in the disc do? I've always wondered... None are broken as far as I can tell and they're tightly in there.

Thanks, Guys!

 

Oil,fog ,misst,drips,, or adjusted too much

 

The springs are there to dampen engine torsional vibration.

I would bolt everything back up and see how far the release fingers move from free to bolted tight. It may be that the old pressure plate just doesn't have enough pressure.

 

Have you checked the flywheel and pressure plate for warping with a straight edge? Re you sure the pressure plate is being released completely?
The springs absorb torsional shock, allowing for smoother engagement.

 

Very glazed disc and pressure plate, what does the flywheel look like.
Are YOU the sole driver, someone may have slipped the clutch a bit when new, and once glazing starts it builds quickly.

 

Damn, I type to slow!

 

Was the release bearing retracting far enough so as to not put any pressure on the clutch fingers?

Phil

 

Thanks for the answers! Yes, I'm the only driver - wife won't touch a three on the tree. My luck!
I'll do the straight edge test.

 

Are you positive it was the clutch slipping and not the rear axle hub slipping on the axle..
It can be a pretty easy mistake if your not used to working on these odd ball cars..
That clutch appears to be in perfect shape.

 

I would be looking very carefully at the linkage. Make sure there is free play between the release bearing, and the fingers on the pressure plate. The linkage on those cars is rather odd, with the rubber strap holding one end of the Z bar.

The springs in the center are to cushion the shock of the clutch engagement, smooths it out a bit.

I sold my Rambler, so I can't look at anything on it anymore.

When the rear hub goes, the car won't move....at least mine didn't.

 

What's that white junk on the center splines? How much time we talking, 500miles over the past few years?

 

If it sits alot I'd almost think rust, then you drive it a few miles the rust gets wiped into the disc causing glazing then it sits again for a while and starts all over again.....

.

 

Did the clutch hold well at first and then gradually lose grip?

 

I have no idea if this applies but a friend of mine (who has since "passed on") used to resurface the disc, between rounds, on a drag car that ran a Lenco. I wonder (IF it is needed) if this one could be "freshened" without being replaced.

If the disc in question isn't contaminated with oil, I'd be looking at the linkage.

 

Like lostone said, it looks like a lot of rust on the disc.

 

My first thought on a newly(ish) clutch is adjustement, second was pressure plate finger adjustment or spring condition. since you have it out, have a clutch rebuilder take a look, if possible. If not, measure the finger height and figure out a way to test spring tension.

 

He siad he had about an inch of free play in the first post in this thread.

 

If it was installed like your picture shows it’s in backwards.

 

If the clutch disc was installed as you have it pictured here, it looks to me like you had the disc installed backwards. That is, the more flush side of the clutch disc should be installed to the flywheel side and the the side that protrudes just a bit should go toward the pressure plate.

 

If he installed it backwards, the problem wouldn't be slipping, it would be permanently locked up.

 

Yeah, true it shouldn’t disengage. Kinda depends on how the flywheel is cut in the center though. I’m not that familiar with the motor etc.

 

I didn't take a picture of my new clutch disk, only a picture of it all put together, before installing the bellhousing.

 

Just to throw it out there, does the disc move freely on the transmission input shaft? I've seen messed up splines on the input shafts that wouldn't let the disc move. The result was very short time before the one surface that was grabbing wore enough it would slip.

It also looks like a lot of rust dust covering that disc, the dust could act as an insulating material on one or both sides of the disc and cause not enough friction contact between the disc and the flywheel, or the disc and the pressure plate surface.